Execution of the test plans will be closely coordinated with CHART staff. The tests will be performed in a "dry run" fashion by the CSC/PBFI Team prior to formal execution. The "dry run" will be performed to demonstrate that the functions are working satisfactorily prior to formal execution with the CHART Staff. The "dry-run" will be conducted at the CSC/PBFI Team facilities in a test lab environment.

Formal test plan execution will be done at the CHART facility on the actual system hardware. The testing will be executed in accordance with the accepted test plan and procedures. The results of each individual test will be documented and signed off by CHART Staff and representatives of the CSC/PBFI Team. Results of the testing will be summarized in a memorandum. Deficiencies will be corrected and retested.

4.6.3.1 Component Testing

Component testing is the basis of strong integration and trouble shooting techniques. The basic concept is to test each individual piece to verify that it works as intended and then test the pieces working together. For this project, component level testing will be done as described below.

4.6.3.1.1 Field Equipment

Test documents will be developed for each major field component. The test will be based on the requirements described in the specifications, the submitted cut sheets, and its overall function in the system.

The outcome of the tests will be a verification that the individual components operated as intended. This step will be very important in the overall integration process. It provides a basis for building the system in manageable increments with the field components as the first piece in the testing process.

4.6.3.1.2 Communications

The communications system is one of the single most important pieces of any ATMS system. The CSC/PBFI Team’s experience is that the communications system is typically the most significant and prevalent source of integration difficulty.

Mitigation of this significant risk requires sample end-to-end testing at a minimum and ideally complete system testing to verify correct communications operation. End-to-end testing should be done first with known test equipment using communications methods similar to what the field equipment and central computer will use. Then sample testing with actual field equipment and test software should be conducted to verify operation and configuration of all components in the communication circuit. This level of testing is not required for field equipment that is currently operating correctly on the same communication system as will be used for CHART II. The CSC/PBFI Team assumes that this testing will be conducted under the Statewide Network Management Services contract.

4.6.3.1.3 Software

Software development will be accomplished using the highly effective processes previously described that have proven to be successful in the delivery of software projects. The development process will use in-house testing prior to any release for on-site review by CHART Staff. A development workstation will be placed at the SOC for this purpose. The goal is to deliver solid, working code for the CHART system. The on-site testing is a verification process for the CHART staff and a step in the overall integration process.

The CSC/PBFI Team will deliver software in incremental releases. As such a test plan will be developed to exercise the functions of the new software and regression testing of the previous functions (if applicable). The procedures will describe the requirement being tested, the software steps to execute the desired function, the appropriate field support, the appropriate field equipment response, and the expected outcome of the test.

The CHART staff will be involved in the software development process throughout the development cycle. Graphical user interfaces (GUI) and prototyping demonstrations will be used to give the CHART staff previews of the interface to allow the development to mirror the CHART staff’s expectation as to how functions are implemented.

The testing will be centered on the ability of the software to execute the functions implemented. This software testing will be an end-to-end system test that will execute commands from central with verification of the results in the field. Any deficiencies will be noted and corrected.